Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an ITE (“in-the-ear”) hearing aid comprising a shell to be worn at least in part in the ear channel of the user, a faceplate being fixed at the shell for closing the shell at a side oriented towards the exterior of the user's ear, and at least one microphone housed in the shell and acoustically connected to ambience via a sound port.
Description of Related Art
When being worn by the user, an ITE hearing aid is exposed to cerumen and sweat, while the microphone has to be open towards ambience in order to pick up ambient sound with high efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the microphone opening with some kind of protection from cerumen and humidity in order to avoid clogging of the microphone opening. However, the evaluable space on the faceplate is very limited, and typically the faceplate is not only provided with microphone openings, but also with at least one element for manual adjustment of the hearing aid, such as a toggle switch. Typically, the microphone protection is provided as an element which is fixed within the microphone opening in the faceplate by an interference fit. However, it may happen that the microphone protection becomes loose by incorrect handling of the hearing aid, which then may result in clogging of the microphone opening with cerumen.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,457,336 B2 relates to a CIC (“completely-in-the-channel”) hearing aid which is to be worn deeply within the ear channel for several weeks or months without having to be removed from the ear channel during that time. Insertion and removal of the hearing aid is done by an audiologist using a specific tool. The hearing aid comprises a microphone opening oriented towards the outer end of the ear channel, which microphone opening is covered by a separate cap element which, when fixed at the outer end of the housing of the hearing aid, leaves lateral openings for sound to be picked up by the microphone. A similar hearing aid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,298,857 B2.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,284,973 B2 relates to an ITE hearing aid comprising a faceplate having a microphone opening protected by a protection element to be inserted into the microphone opening which is designed as a blind hole, with the microphone protection being designed as a cylindrical, mushroom-shaped plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,238,594 B2 relates to an ITE hearing aid comprising a microphone opening into which a cover element provided with several small holes is inserted, with a water-repellant, sound-permeable membrane being bonded on the inner side of the cover element.
EP Patent Publication 1 439 733 B1 relates to an ITE hearing aid comprising a faceplate with a microphone opening into which a mesh-like filter element is removably inserted.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2012/0163643 A1 relates to an ITE hearing aid comprising a faceplate which is provided with a laterally angled microphone opening covered by a protection element comprising a grid-type structure. A similar hearing aid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,295,522 B1.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,542,858 B2 relates to a BTE (“behind-the-ear”) hearing aid comprising a rocker switch which is provided with lateral microphone openings, with the rocker switch extending above the surface of the BTE housing.
Gelman Patent Publication DE 10 2011 006 417 B3 relates to a BTE hearing aid comprising a bow-like element for protecting microphone openings in the housing from the hairs of the user; ambient sound reaches the microphone opening through laterally extending slots. The microphone openings are covered by a membrane. A similar hearing aid is described in German Patent Application Publication DE 10 2010 041 656 A1.